“Lost another one,” said Slide to the King, the undisputed ruler and owner of the Castle. Slide Rule was the head architect for the Castle and the prestigious owner of Building Blocks Inc. Sitting next to them was Igor from Moat Designs Ltd., the general contractor of the Castle. They had stopped at the Market Square for a midday meal. “Seems like you have said that a lot lately,” said the King.
“I’ve been making a lot of presentations and I’m not getting anywhere.”
“Slide, perhaps you can use some help with your presentations?” suggested the King.
“Not me. I have it down to a science. ‘Get In; Get Out.’ That’s my motto.”
“That’s the goal of your presentation?” asked Igor.
“Yes. I dare say you have the same goal when you present.”
“It’s not true. I operate strictly on a basis of providing the best image of my company.”
The King was definitely getting more interested. “So, what do you mean by that, Igor?”
“I use the ‘Last In; First Out’ technique.” The King was getting a bit edgy at Igor who seemed to be avoiding a direct answer. The King took another sip of his watered-down wine, and turned toward Igor. “What does that mean?”
“Whoever is the newest staff person in my company automatically makes the presentation. That way they can get experience and ramp up faster.”
“Does this technique work?” asked Slide.
“No, not at all.”
“So, why don’t you, the owner of your company who is responsible for sales, be the one who speaks to your new potential clients?” asked the King. “It would be a perfect time to develop a relationship with them.”
“I’m not going and speaking in front of people. Are you crazy?”
The King was now very agitated. He got up and started to pace back and forth. He looked at both of them.
“Uh, oh,” said Igor. “I think another Master Class has started.”
“You’re both idiots. ‘Get In; Get Out,’ and ‘Last In; First Out.’ You both need help and I’m not sure if it’s mental help or marketing help, or both. But, as your King, I’m here to help.”
“How can you help us, your Majesty?” asked Igor.
Suddenly, platters of food arrived at their table. The King waved off the food, which immediately disappeared. Igor and Slide watch the food vanish longingly since they were already both hungry. It felt like their last meal had just vaporized.
“That will be your last meal if you don’t pay attention!” Igor and Slide looked at each other.
“Igor, how does he read our minds?” whispered Slide.
Igor shrugs his shoulders. “I think it’s the author.”
The King cleared his throat, and his students immediately give him their full attention.
“The very best way to attract business is to make a confident presentation. First, owners want to see owners, or the people in charge that have the title. It’s certainly all right to have others present. But they definitely don’t want to see the lowest person in the company giving the presentation, who basically got thrown under the bus to give the presentation.”
Igor looked at Slide and shrugged his shoulders. “Being thrown under the bus is an idiomatic phrase meaning to sacrifice another person. That means you, the owners and principals of your company, must make the presentation. So, your ‘Last In; First Out’ idea doesn’t work. Next, one sign of confidence is showing up yourself. So you’re ‘Get In; Get Out’ philosophy is not going to work.”
Realizing the King was probably right, Igor raised his hand. “Can you give us a tip that will help us get the order when we’re presenting?”
“Yes. Remember this: most architects and contractors at the end of their presentation will turn and walk out of the room, as they have very little sales training. Some don’t even say thank you for being invited. Actually, to them, the ending is a relief. But a good architect and contractor will stand there and make a close. You see, you must sincerely ask for the order, and at the same time interweave everything you have learned about the hot points of the owners. Not doing so is one of the biggest mistakes made in presentations.”
“Can you give us an example?”
“Let me summarize for you. I’ve known both of you for a long time, and we’ve worked before on different projects. I want to say thank you for allowing me to talk about how I can help you with presentations. But, I also want to say, I sincerely and respectfully ask for you to allow me to coach you further on your closing abilities. You see, as we’ve demonstrated here, we make a good team, and a good team means that we’ll work together on any issue that presents itself. It’s not always about the money; it’s really about the working relationships we have together as we move forward. There will always be issues, but if the team can address them together, then there really aren’t any issues at all. I invite you to visit my office so we can discuss this project together.”
“You’re hired,” Igor and Slide said in unison.
Ronald A. McKenzie is president of COMPASS Consultants Corp., a strategic planning and marketing company specializing in developing business growth. He is a published author and has made nationwide presentations on the subject of strategic planning and marketing. He resides in Las Vegas and can be reached at ramckenzie.compass@gmail. com and www.compassconsultantscorp.com.